Chapter Nineteen
The Secret Santa lunch for the Women of Whiskey River Service Organization went off almost without a flaw. Savannah had given a gift certificate to Tips, Tops, & Toes to a woman who was new in town. She didn’t know her very well but what she did know, she liked.
She caught up with Avery and Rachel while people were chatting after the lunch and gift giving. Avery was talking excitedly to Rachel. “Savannah, I was just telling Rachel that I’m going to see snow in less than twenty-four hours. I can’t wait.”
“The trip with your parents is still on?” Savannah hoped so. Avery’s parents had let her down in the past. Unlike Savannah’s father, who interfered too much, her parents seemed content to let her go her own way.
“Yes. We’re going snow skiing in Colorado. I’m flying out of Austin tomorrow to meet them.”
“I’m sure you’ll have fun,” Rachel said.
“Just don’t break your leg or anything,” Savannah added.
“I’ll do my best not to,” Avery said with a grin.
“I need to ask y’all something,” Savannah said.
“What’s up?” Avery asked.
“What a cute outfit,” Savannah said to Avery, distracted again. Avery had paired a frothy white blouse with a knee-length black pencil skirt and a black sweater with ruffles at the collar and cuffs. “That rocks. I love it. Did you get it here? If you did tell me where.”
“Ordered it online,” Avery said.
“Oh, will you text me the website?”
“Sure.”
“What were you going to ask us, Savannah?” Rachel asked.
“It’s about Harlan’s Christmas present. I arranged for a room at the Harwood Inn on Christmas Eve. Dinner at their restaurant, a romantic evening by the fire, that kind of thing. I was even thinking about playing the CD of our favorite song, This Is The Night. It’s a Clay Aiken song.” And, she thought, particularly fitting.
“I remember that,” Rachel said. “What a beautiful song.”
“I was planning to tell him about it Saturday night.”
“What’s the problem?”
“The problem is now I’m worried it’s stupid and not enough.” It was expensive, but compared to jewelry…
“It sounds great to me,” Rachel said.
“Me too,” Avery agreed.
“I thought so too, until he dragged me off to Sparkle and Shine last night.” She launched into the story about Harlan making her look at almost everything in the store. “And they were nice, expensive things too. So he’s giving me a beautiful piece of jewelry and I’m giving him…a night at the Harwood Inn. It’s not enough.”
Avery and Rachel were both staring at her like she’d lost her mind. “What?”
“Shall I tell her or do you want to?” Rachel asked Avery.
“You go ahead,” Avery said. “Words fail me.”
“Tell me what?” Were they trying to be annoying?
“Oh, honey,” Rachel said with a smartass grin. “Your hunk of burning love is going to ask you to marry him.”
Savannah’s mouth fell open. “No, he’s not. He—he couldn’t be. He just wanted to buy me something I liked.”
“Did you try on rings?” Avery asked.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean—”
“Any of them look like engagement rings?” Rachel added.
“No. Well, not a traditional one.”
Rachel and Avery went off into a fit of laughter. “Ten bucks says he pops the question,” Avery said.
“Oh, God… No, it’s too soon. He can’t possibly… Can he?”
“Of course he can. You said neither of you got over the other one. Not fully, anyway.”
Savannah put her hands to her cheeks. “What if he does? No, I can’t think about that. Because then if he doesn’t that will be awful.” She shoved her hands through her hair. “Damn it, what else do I get him? In case you’re right.”
“Of course we’re right,” Rachel said.
Avery laughed. “Go buy yourself something sexy from Fallen Angels to wear on Christmas Eve at the inn. Trust me, he’ll love it.”
On her way back to the office, she stopped at Fallen Angels Lingerie. It wouldn’t hurt to have new, pretty lingerie, even if he didn’t ask her. She was petrified to allow herself to believe it. Because once Rachel and Avery had put the idea in her head, she realized there was nothing she wanted more than to marry Harlan Sullivan. But regardless of what her friends said, a proposal was in no way a sure thing.
*
Saturday morning Savannah woke up in Harlan’s arms. She felt him hardening against her back.
“You awake?” he asked.
“Hmm. Obviously, you are too.”
His hands cupped her breasts and she sighed, turning her head to kiss him. Slow and dreamy, his hands glided down to caress her. She turned in his arms and kissed him again, sliding her hand down to grasp him, to arouse him even more. He slipped inside her, slowly at first, gradually building in intensity until her climax burst in wave after wave of pleasure. She felt him follow her with a groan.
Harlan kissed her and said, “My favorite way to wake up.”
She laughed and stretched. She’d dithered about whether to tell Harlan about their evening at the Harwood Inn that she’d planned, or to surprise him on Christmas Eve. She’d finally decided to warn him not to plan anything for that night, but not to tell him what they were doing.
“You haven’t made plans for Christmas Eve night, have you?” she asked, following him into the kitchen after they took care of business.
“Other than having a nice dinner somewhere and sitting by the tree?” He gestured at the tree they’d spent so much time and energy on. “Not really. Why?”
“I have a surprise planned. I’ll take care of dinner. All you need to do is pack an overnight bag.”
“Are you kidnapping me?”
“Yes, for a night of pleasure.”
“In that case, just let me know when you want me and I’m ready.”
A little while later, after Savannah had showered, she decided to go to Riva’s and get them some breakfast. Harlan was in the shower and she called out, “What do you want from Riva’s?”
“Black coffee and some kind of pastry.”
“What kind of pastry?”
“Surprise me.”
She picked up the apartment keys, lying next to Harlan’s wallet and cell phone. As she did a text came in. Since it was there, she glanced at it.
It’s signed. Your lawyer should have it today.
No name, but a number had popped up. A very familiar number.
Her father’s number. For a moment she stood there indecisively, then pressed home and the text came up again on his locked screen. It’s signed. Your lawyer should have it today.
What the hell?
*
Harlan had dressed and was checking his phone messages when Savannah walked in with coffee and a sack of pastries. He finished his text responding to a query about a delivery and said, “What’s for breakfast?”
She set down the tray and sack on the dining room table, then got out a couple of plates. “Blueberry muffins. Fresh baked this morning, Riva said.”
Harlan set down his phone and walked over to the table. “Great.” They both sat and began eating. “What do you have planned for today?”
“I’m not sure.” She drank coffee before she added, “You got a text while you were in the shower.”
“Okay.” He took a sip of coffee.
“I was getting the apartment key when it dinged.”
A little puzzled, he said again, “Okay.”
“I wasn’t snooping.”
He began to get an inkling of where she was going. “I didn’t think you were.”
“Why did you get a text from my father?”
Damn. “Saw that, did you?” He hadn’t planned on telling her, or at least, not until later.
“Yes. What is signed and why is your lawyer involved?”
“Your father and I are doing some business together.”
“That’s what it looked like, but I find that hard to believe. You and my father in business together?” She shook her head. “No. No way in hell. You hate each other.”
“You don’t have to like someone to do business with them.”
“What business could you possibly have with him?”
“It’s a land deal. We’ve bought some land for development out by the airport, on the Pedernales. Most likely we’ll put up condos.”
She stared at him. “You can’t be talking about Serenity Valley. He and a couple of other men are planning on putting a spa there. Besides, the idea of you going into partnership with my father is, at best, ludicrous.”
“Nevertheless, we are. The other investors had to drop out and he needed someone else to put up the money. It sounded like a good deal, and I agreed, on the condition we put up individual townhouses that will be more suited to the landscape.”
“And he agreed, just like that.”
“He didn’t have a lot of choice. He needed the money and I had it.”
She picked up her coffee cup and drank from it. “He’s in trouble, isn’t he? Something about this deal got him into trouble. I knew it sounded chancy but he wouldn’t listen to me. Not that he ever does.”
“He’s not in trouble. Now.”
“You bailed him out. Why in the world would you bail him out after what he’s done to us? And why in hell would he come to you for help?”
Harlan sighed. “He didn’t come to me. I heard about it and offered to invest. He didn’t have any other offers, so he took me up on it.”
“Fifty-fifty?”
“Seventy-thirty. I’m the seventy.”
“This makes absolutely no sense. Does this mean you and he have made up your differences?”
“Not exactly. I suspect he still doesn’t like me.” Hell, Taylor still hated him. Probably always would. Especially now that Taylor owed him.
“Why? Why would you help him out?”
“It wasn’t that big a deal. It’s going to be a good investment, now that we’re not putting up some monstrosity spa that’s so expensive hardly anyone could afford it. Besides, I didn’t do it for him, I did it for you.” She looked at him in confusion. “He’s your father, Savannah. No matter what, you love him. You’re going to forgive him eventually.” He shrugged. “You wouldn’t be happy if he went bankrupt.”
“It was that bad?”
“Pretty bad. The other investors are in jail, leaving him responsible for the entire thing. He was going to have to liquidate most of his holdings, with no guarantee he’d get it back.”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Or for him, I’m sure. And he doesn’t deserve it.”
“But you do.” He got up and walked over to her, pulling her out of her chair and into his arms. He leaned down and kissed her. “Don’t expect him to be either grateful or happy about it. He won’t be.”
She touched his cheek. “I’m sorry. I wish he wasn’t that way.”
“As long as you’re not, I don’t care.”